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Behind the Score Ep. 2 - Erlkönig (Franz Schubert) (Patreon)

Published:
2021-08-22 13:00:05
Imported:
2023-06

Content

For our second episode of the Behind the Score series, we're diving into Erlkönig by Franz Schubert. Many on the discord were interested in hearing a breakdown of this piece. It has a great mystical story as its backdrop. And, Schubert's writing is full of exciting harmonic and melodic twists, turns, ups, and downs. 

I take you through an introduction, initial listen, harmonic analysis, and a final viewing of an animated video depicting the events in the story.

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Comments

Steve Hartke

Thank you, Doug, for the opportunity to attend your class! One of my fave pieces. My music reading is subpar, but I need to get my music out for this piece, and follow along and notate my score. I always wanted to create a guitar version of this, just for my own enjoyment, and I feel this will help. Took music theory in college, and have my AA degree in music, but I never really applied it. Thanks again Doug, your the man…

Dale S Josephs

Such a good piece of classical song. I've long thought about the possibility that this is all a fever-dream of the child's ill imagination as the father is rushing his son home. But as you point out, the 4 characters of the narrative (5, if you include the galloping horse in the piano accompaniment) are all clearly distinguished. This really does feel like the Ur-granddaddy of darker metal. Thanks for the analysis!

Zsuzsanna Vázsonyi

I love this piece, thanks, Doug! I have to catch up with the past few reactions, I'm on it. 😊

Paul

I came here via the website and was waylaid by Nightwings music. It truly is beautiful.

Ben Allen

I'm not a musician personally, but I took an intro to music history class in college, and I just fell in love with Erlkonig. Great piece, and super stoked that Doug broke it down.

Ben Allen
>>66346255

Interesting analysis, Doug. I always thought that the father was trying to get the child to town to see a doctor because he was sick and dying. As they ride, the child starts to see the Elf King beckoning him to death, whether the king is literal or an effect of the fever.

Ben Allen
>>66346255

"Theory shouldn't drive the art." I'm interested in what you think about composers like Berg and Webern, Doug, where it seems like you could make a case that the theory was driving the art.

Ben Allen
>>66346255

To me, the Elf King being in a major key is about the character's offer for a better life being tempting. He's offering a life of easy and pleasure, as opposed to the hard reality of life and (in my reading) illness. Whether consenting or not, joining the Elf King is a release or resolution of the tension of the ride/sickness.

Paul

As the musical moron of the 233 can I make a suggestion? Is it possible in these pieces for you to have a keyboard to hand so that you can demonstrate the point you are making while you elucidate it?

Paul

I forgot to add that I loved your comment that "the art always drives the theory."

Peter Tutak

This, and a great cup of coffee, was a wonderful way to spend a cloudy Northwest Sunday morning. Thanks for this, Doug. I'm kind of getting the feeling that having a piano transcription, or maybe a four-voice delineation of a piece of music makes this go somewhat easier (as well as for our viewing), rather than having to cope with transcribing instruments or dealing with alternate clefs, like in an orchestral score. If that's so, with that in mind, I'm going to suggest the Molto Adagio from Samuel Barber's String Quartet Op. 11 for a future episode of BTS.

doughelvering

Thanks Peter. That Barber would be a great one…the original string quartet, the string orchestra version, and the famous choral setting.

Sian Podmore

Doug, that's a really creepy Gollum impression, made me choke on my tea! Also, as someone just about to embark on piano lessons at the age of 60 (inspired by Doug and this community), it's very encouraging to hear that the music theory is primarily an analytical tool. I challenge Paul (above) for the position of musical moron here.

Arne Martin Aurlien

Great analysis of a great piece! Second the Barber suggestion, I've sung the coral version a few times and it is just wonderful. Another choral suggestion from me, one that you've probably never heard, is the Stabat Mater setting by Norwegian composer Trond Kverno: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0tOX8_OVwAE I've sung this a few times and it is probably one of the hardest pieces I've ever done, the harmonies are extremely distinct and very beautiful and I have no idea what's going on. I'll send you the sheet music if you're interested

Ray Sincere

I'm interested to hear this piece. I know this poem. I tried at one point to learn some German by looking at poetry. I never got a great grasp of it, but I liked Goethe. A lot of the poetry I read was just so-so, but when I got to Goethe, even in spite of my not really understanding the language, the poetry came through. And I liked the poem about the Erlking a lot. Deliciously dark and foreboding, the way European fairytales used to be before we got too worried about scaring kids. "Den Erlenkönig mit Kron' und Schweif?" "Mein Sohn, es ist ein Nebelstreif." I swear I have heard this music somewhere before! I like the way Schubert makes the Erlking's pleas seem so sweet, as he's trying to lure the little boy away, to kill him. I always imagined the Erlking as a bass. But this is interesting. I also like the way Schubert delivers the final reveal so slowly, drawing it out until the very last word makes the child's fate clear. An excellent treatment of this poem! The singer could have been more intense when the Erlking was talking about using force. That would have punched that line up.